Changing Seasons. Autumn II, part 1.

Autumn II, part 1 “Those clothes you made are so cute! The girls look adorable. And Barnabas looks so handsome. This is the curtain fabric I told you about.” “I brought it over because I wanted to show it to you, but I can take it back with me if it’s going to be in your way here.”
“It’ll be fine. I’ve got space. And thanks for babysitting for us this morning.”
“Toddler-sitting now! Okay, crawler-sitting: they’re not exactly toddling yet, are they? It’ll be fun to spend some time with them again. You two enjoy yourselves.”
“We’ll be back by their lunchtime, easily.” “This is the most exercise I’ve had in ages,” Patience called over her shoulder to Euan. It was fun, pedalling along the road without either a child or a load of washing (or sometimes both) on board as well. “Including or not including chasing the children? What do you think, then?”
“It’s amazing. You’re really bringing this place back to life.”
“Annette’s flowers have helped. They’ve really brightened it up. I’ll ask her if she can do some more for next year.”
“I think you’ve worked wonders. Remember what it was like when we arrived?” They both thought back to that time. It had been a wilderness. And it had felt like he’d been exiled to a hopeless place with no future. Oh, it had been “a permanent job with housing and transport provided, pension and health benefits.” But Euan had known it was a ploy to get rid of him and put someone else in his place. “And now look at it, a year and a bit later! I think that deserves a reward…” “You’ve cleaned up the inscriptions too.”
“Only on some of them, so far.”
“Here lie Ludovic and Amelia Meithers, devoted husband and wife…” Patience began reading it aloud. “I wonder who they were?”
“Ask Old Tench. There’s some other Meithers here as well. This is the one that gets my prize, though.” “Whose is that one?”
“Frederick Arbuthnot’s wife – you know, the guy who built that estate Clara was telling us about. Listen. ‘The most loyal comrade a man could have wished for…A loving and devoted mother to her children…Yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy…The law of kindness is on her tongue.’” “You know, that last bit could apply to you. The law of kindness is on her tongue. It’s one of the first things I loved about you.” “Euan McPhail, I love you so much. You are my hero. And I wouldn’t change anything.” Patience paused.
“Clara asked me the other day what we were planning to do next. And she made me realise how much I want to stay here, bring our children up here. But what about you?” Euan wrapped his arms round her.
“As long as I get to be with you, I’d be happy anywhere. And yes, I like it here. And we’re managing to get by all right. Who needs to g-get on in the world, c-climb the c-corporate ladder?” Euan was beginning to stammer, always a sign of distress. She cut him short with a kiss. “We’ll stay here then. We have enough and we have each other. Now show me the old Preston place – Annette told me about it, and I haven’t seen it yet and it’s near here, isn’t it?” “How have they been for you,” Patience asked as she came in through the door. “They’ve been as good as gold,” Annette said. “You’ve got such happy little children here. I’ve had a lovely rest.”
“Well, if looking after three small children is a rest, I hate to think how hard you must be working!”
“It’s the building work on top of all the normal stuff. You’ll have to come round sometime soonish and see what we’ve done – close up, instead of just from here. Having Blake makes all the difference, and I think we’re going to have to hire someone else as well next spring, if we keep going on like this.” “What colour would you like this room painted?”
“My sewing room? I hadn’t thought about that. But I have now! Pink. I’d like pink.”
“Then you shall have it! Next time Marcus or Annette can pick up paint for us from Newborough. What are you planning to sew next?” “A patchwork rug with the small leftovers. Annette’s curtains, when the windows are in and she can give me the measurements…”
“That won’t be long now, the speed they’re building at. I think we should have Blake round when the house is done, for a nice quiet games evening.”
“And then the checked cloth is for Christmas presents – I’m making shirts for Lachlan, Old Tench, Marcus and Blake. But I wanted to start those nice and early.” “What about me? Don’t I get a shirt too?”
“Yours is going to be a surprise! Do you think I could have another shelf as well as some pink paint? I’ve got bits of fabric stashed away everywhere.”
“Your wish is my command. Shall we do the bedroom as well?” “Yes! This room is awful, now I look at it. I don’t know how we’ve stood it for so long.”
“I think we were a bit busy bringing up three babies…” “Oh, I was chatting to Old Tench yesterday when I met him at the shop.” Euan tossed a giggling Barnabas up into the air and caught him.
“Mmm?” Patience said, trying to persuade Joy that the potty was A Good Thing Really.
“He says he’ll take you out and show you more of the area. You really enjoyed that bike ride the other day, didn’t you?”
"I did. I loved it." “Come on, little man. You can do it!” Barnabas was the first of the triplets to stand on his own two feet.
“You’ve been so tied by the babies, you’ve hardly seen anything of where you live. Have a morning out.”
“That would be really lovely. Thank you darling.” Euan was so considerate, Patience thought, as she felt her heart warm within her. “Here you are, Barnabas. And mummy will be back by lunchtime. What do you want to get done this afternoon, Euan?”
“That shelf in your sewing room. Then you’ll have somewhere to put that stash of yours – and we can have the bottom drawer back again for our clothes!”
“Yes – I haven’t even started that mat yet, so that pile’s not going down at all!” “Have a really nice time out. You deserve it. We’ll be fine here.”
Barnabas gazed up at his parents kissing, wondering what they were doing. Joy and Hope were more interested in their breakfasts! “Seein’ as you was askin’ about the Meithers, I thought I’d show you where they lived first. Ain’t that far from yours. We just go straight on that way.”
Old Tench had pointed, and Patience had headed off, following him. “There you are,” Old Tench said, as he caught up with her. He jerked his head towards the dilapidated house.
“Meithers’ place.”
“Has potential…”
Patience did her best impersonation of an estate agent as she looked at the outside of the house, and Old Tench laughed.
“This charming building has a deep shady porch that will be perfect for sitting out on a summer’s evening. Many original features still remain…” She peered in through a dusty window at the mess inside.
“The owner has made a feature of interior plants, which combine interestingly with the antique furniture…Who were the Meithers, Old Tench?”
“Worked at one of the factories. Vic – all the men were called Ludovic – he was foreman like his dad before him. Old Ludo started as a delivery boy aged twelve and worked his way up steady. Vic and Sally moved away just before the collapse, to be nearer the grandchildren – young Ludo went to university, became a doctor. But a course, sellin’ the house was impossible, so I’m guessin’ the family still owns it.” “Just let me check iffen the floor’s still sound.”
Patience paused obediently on the doorstep until Old Tench called her in. “What was this place? She couldn’t put a name to half the stuff she could see.
“Rusty Wrangler’s, this place was. This is the horse end of town.”
“Horses? Here? But isn’t it too dry for them?”
“Didn’t useter be dry. Time was, there was good grass round this end, and round the lakes too. This was the tack store, food store: anythin’ you needed for your horse, Rusty’d get it for you.” “Newboro’s still got its racin’, but there was racin’ here too, once upon a time. And a couple of fine studs too. One of ‘em’s real close – I’ll show you. Leave the bikes here – it’s only a step.” They left Rusty’s behind them and walked on. Patience had to admit that, despite the emptiness of the buildings, she was enjoying this. I love the children, of course I do, she thought. But a bit of time away from them is such a treat. “This was the Knight-Mayor stud.”
“Nightmare?”
“No, Knight-Mayor! Alice Mayor and Tom Knight. Cousins, they were, and they founded it ‘n when the next guy bought it, he kept the name. He was their head lad, ‘n he had a lucky win ‘n when they was wantin’ to sell up, they was real happy for him to carry on. Campbell, his name was. Died a little while back – I saw it in the racin’ section of the paper. His nephew was at school with me - he went on to be a jockey: caught the racin' bug from old Campbell.” Patience had a feeling she recognised the interior décor. She stepped back to get a better look at the house. “It sort of reminds me of ours when we first arrived.”
“You’ve done a real good job on yours, what with three babies ‘n all.”
“Talking of three babies, I better get back. Euan wants to put a shelf up this afternoon – as well as the garden, the babies and his job! Thanks so much for this guided tour.”
“Ain’t nothin’. Done me good to get out here as well.” “This is a potty, Barnabas, and you are going to learn how to use it. Won’t that be fun? Hello darling – did you have a nice time?”
“Lovely, thanks. Did I just catch sight of Clara and Annette racing away?”
“Oh…er…yes. They – they just dropped by on their way past. Annette had something to drop off for you. Just give us a minute or two and then I’ll show you.” “You painted my sewing room!”
“Me and Clara. Don’t touch the window wall, it’s not quite dry yet. Annette minded the children. All she wanted to do was sit down! But we have to go over and see their place next week. It’s almost ready to show off, she said. Do you like it?”
“I love it! The pink is perfect. Who chose it?”
“Clara. She said you’d like this one.”
“She was so right! I’ll make her a rug too as a thankyou.”

Some of these amazing and artfully dilapidated builds were made for me by LMC6255 for the SummerFest gift exchange as part of her Art of Dilapidation series!
The Meithers’ place – called “My, this place has potential” is here:
https://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=9394596
Rusty Wrangler’s Horse Supplies is here:
https://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=9395123
An Old Jockey’s Nightmare is here:
https://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=9394756
I’ve altered them very slightly, to fit in with the town – the telegraph poles are by Cyclone Sue at TSR